Skeeter

From what I understand there is all kinds of UV cured products. The epoxy will cure in 1 to 10 seconds. This all depends on the brand of product and like Fat Ratz said, the intensity of the UV light. Seems the standard is 1000 watts. They do make some that is cured in 2 min. with low intensity 300 watt lights. It is water resistant and it does seal. Some of this stuff has a tensile strength of 8000 psi. This is the stuff that dries hard. They also have some of these products that do have some flex to it. My only question is that if you dip the lures, what about runs before it hits the light? Skeeter

Seems there are different ways to do thru wire. It has been a topic here and a really big topic on an old site that some of us use to frequent. The bottom line is....... If it holds together and it works, then its right. Skeeter

Very Nice Work !!!! Skeeter

All of us appreciate you help and tutorials Chip. Celcav is right you do an excellent job. Skeeter

TBC, Fold the Devcon as you mix it instead of quickly stirring it. If you do shir it then do it slowly. This will cut down on the bubbles. A little stiffer than normal brush also helps get rid of the bubbles as you brush it on. Skeeter

Tally, Any kind of permanent ink will work. Just make sure it is dry before you coat it. And like the rest of the guys said..... no solvents. Skeeter

TBC, You could attach the lip that way. However, since the line tie is in the lure, no real pressure is put on the lip. If it is epoxied in, it wouldn't go anywhere. Skeeter

I would go to lacquer paint. Water based paint has a real hard time with slick surfaces. It's kinda like painting glass. It just roles around. Lacquer will stick to just about anything. Skeeter

REALLY EXCELLENT tutorials. Skeeter

Very, Very nice Tally. You are on your way. Keep on making them and putting them on the site. You are more than welcome for the help. That is what the site is all about and what we are here for. Skeeter

radu, Many of us here use the Paasche VL double action airbrush. You can get it in a kit. It has 3 different sizes of needles and tips. It come with the cup, bottles, tops, and air hose. You should be able to find it in Japan. We pay between $45 to $60 USD for it. Do a search on the web for airbrush and you should get plenty of sites back that you can go to and read. Skeeter

Sorry for the long response time Dean. I just checked this part of the board out tonite. The reason I put this post up was because just about everyone that buys a bait from me wants to ask that question first. I have watched so many guys just "sling" baits. They pay very little attention to what they are doing and have no techique. Their equipment usually doesn't cut it either. Most folks assume that if a bait tumbles it is because it is a bad bait. By showing people how to cast a crankbait they get alot more enjoyment out of it. You're right, I am not very diplomatic..... I'm a crankbait maker. Skeeter

I know. I know. But you do it so damn well!! Do me a favor Tim...... Screw one up like the rest of us do every day and post it on the board. It would make me feel so much better. Skeeter

Celticav, I like my EON alot also. I have a 3600SE. I have used this reel since March of this year. Wal Mart had them on close out for $50 and I bought one. I have mine set pretty loose. I can send my crankbaits flying long distances with it than with any other reel that I have used. The Scorpion is my first Shimano. Time will tell. If you tear your EON apart, be sure to pay CLOSE ATTENTION on how the casing and drag washers are put together where the Planetary gears are. It can get hairy. Skeeter

Thunder Shad is in it for a living. They have to turn out alot of baits for several men to draw a check off of the business. Hand carving is out of the question for those guys. However, it appears that they build them right. That machine that they use is a $20,000 duplicator. Just think, if you had to turn out about 1000 baits a week by hand, what that would involve. You cannot make a livable income from making crankbaits unless you automate. Also by turning out that many baits in a week you will probably have to change some of the materials that you use for something that works, dries, etc. much quicker. Most of us on this site "Overbuild" our baits. We use stronger and tougher materials than they do in industry. It usually takes us alot more time to make a lure because of the materials that we use. The most baits that I have done at one time in a group is 30. However, I usually only do about 10 at a time. That is a comfortable number for me and it keeps me from getting bored repeating a process over and over again. One of the guys on this site (Tim Hughes) does baits for a living. He posted a beautiful minnow lure that he did in the gallery. The thing is really beautiful. Then he said something about painting 400 of them in one week. My jaw just dropped. Now I am sure that he has his sh@t together and can shoot much more proficiently than most of us..... But son, that's alot of baits in my opinion for anyone. Skeeter

I use it alot. Good stuff. Wipe it on with a rag, let it dry, fine sand it and shoot your paint. You can use primer if you like. I just shoot several coats of white paint and then shoot my colors. Skeeter

#3 Skeeter

radu, Floor type of urathane is usually what we call moisture cured urathane. It gives a slick glass type of surface. Water based paints have trouble holding on to this type of surface. It is like trying to paint glass. Littlebear is right. If you still want to use that type of sealer then you really need to use lacquer paint. Lacquer sticks to just about anything. I have never tried the vinyl paints, so I don't know about them. If the lure is made from hard wood then you can get a can of polyurathane and just wipe on a thin coat with a rag. Let it dry for a day and then paint it with your water based paints. It will work fine. Oil based paints are just a pain in my opinion. They are messy and hard to clean up. You might try a Japanese acrylic pait that I have used called Takimi or something like that. It is some tough stuff and it dries very quickly. It is a paint used for models. If the lure is made of balsa, send me some email and I will tell you what to do. Skeeter

Try this post, it should help. http://tackleunderground.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1276 Skeeter

radu, You are correct. We have to almost be engineers to understand these new reels. But that for me is part of the fun. I will admit that when I was doing all of this reading on Shimano and Diawa Japanese reels, my head was spinning. There is just ALOT of information on them. I have always worked on my own reels. I couldn't see paying someone to clean and oil them. And if I take care of my own equipment, then I know that it is done right. I was really amazed to see that there is such a big difference between the reels made in Japan and the ones made here in the US. The only American reel company that has anything close is Quantum with its ACS System. My son has one and I love using the reel. It throws as far as my EON. It is easier to set, and I have less trouble with it. Ambassador has an EON called the Sport. It has a Japanese spool in it. They call it the Infini Spool. It appears to be a drilled light spool. It looks to me like a Diawa type spool. I was just wondering if you have ever tried one. I would like to find out about this. Jun said that the regular spool in the EON is heavy and causes the huge birds nests. That guy knows too much. It was his site that got me started on all of this. I am having alot of fun with it. It has gotten cold here in North Carolina. I still haven't had a chance to use my Scorpion. But I have put the reel on a rod and have caught alot of big fish while sitting in my chair in the living room. Skeeter

OK, I understand what you mean by playing with the brake rings. You are right. It can be a real pain, especially if you have to remove the cover everytime you need to adjust them. That was one of the reasons I selected the Scorpion 1000. The 4X4SVS is really nice. From what I have read the Mag Force V is the best. The 4X4 SVS and the Flying ARM IVCB type of braking systems are the next best. These two braking systems are about even. But for quick adjustments I use the centrifugal brake. The Flying ARM IVCB is the same type found on the EON's. I have a 3600SE Eon and I like it. It is currently what I am throwing my crankbaits with now. It is an excellent reel for pitching also. Have you tried the EON with the Infini Spool? I would like to try one. The only problem that I have with the Eon is the heavy spool. The ring that selects the number of brake arms can move after some heavy casting and sometimes disable another brake. But I think that we all have to understand that these high performance reels that have very free spools will all need adjusting during the day as the wind speed changes and lure weight changes. It is the price you pay to obtain maximum performance regardless what reel you buy. With the 4X4 SVS I can just move a dial setting. With my Eon I use the centrifugal brake for quickly reseting for minor adjustments. I hope Santa brings you the Diawa for Christmas. Skeeter

radu, Thanks for the reply. After reading your opinion, I will take a harder look at the 200. I will be using it on a 7 ft. medium heavy graphite rod. I bought a Scorpion 1000 to check the Japanese market of fishing equipment. I had read so much about the reel and many Japanese and American anglers have praised the casting abilities of the reel for alot of different fishing application and techniques. I saw a Calcutta 200 GT at a Bass Pro Shop near my home. I was really impressed with the reel. We have the Chronarch MG here in the states. It was extremely light. But I want to see how magneseum holds up as a material to make reels out of. I know about the saltwater thing, but I want to watch and see if it strong enough to last for years. I just can't get into the Diawa thing. I have just seen the finish come off of their TD models after only a year of use. It may not affect the way the reel works, but for $350 I want it to stay nice looking. I really feel that the quality is there in the Conquest. I think that if I take good care of the reel, it will last a lifetime. Skeeter

What is the epoxy that you are using. If it is Devcon, then the only thing that I can think of is that the Rapalas that you are coating are not actually painted. It might be that they are decals. Rapala has gone to this on alot of their baits. It is possible that the heat created from the hardener curing the resin in the epoxy is melting these decals. Skeeter

Hoosierdaddy, One of the things that you might consider...... I believe that Envirotex is mixed with a hardener or something. If you mix up a batch and then dip your lures then eventually whatever you mix it in and dip your lures into will become low and then you won't be able to dip a lure into the container for complete coverage. Whatever is left in the container will have to be poured onto other lures or wasted. That can get expensive. Maybe some of you Envirotex guys could help with some suggestions. Skeeter

boatnik13, I got my Paasche VL from Harbor Freight. It is a real good gun. The kit has absolutely everything that you need to paint baits. I have been using mine for 3 years now with no problems. It comes with 3 different sizes of needles and tips which will allow you to paint as fine or as wide as you will ever need to. For the money as well as the quality, I highly recommed it. Harbor Freight is great to do business with. Skeeter